As the battle over cutting food stamps in Washington heats up, here's a look at who in our area receives assistance from the federally-funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP.

In New York City, more than 1.8 million people currently receive food stamps: 35% of recipients are children and 26% are 60 or older.

City statistics show just over 1.18 million recipients are working or receiving some other kind of income that's not welfare or disability payments. The neighborhoods with the highest food stamp usage are mostly in the Bronx.

Across the river in New Jersey, roughly 860,00 people receive food stamps. About 49% are children and 12% are seniors.

In both places there has been a dramatic increase in food stamp usage going back to at least 2008. "The fact that we've had a recession since the re-authorization of the last farm bill really accounts for the growth in the program and growth in the program budget," said Triada Stampas from the Food Bank for New York City. She said that's why Republicans have targeted the program for cuts. 

Stampas said she thinks that food stamp usage will go down on its own as the economy improves. But Republicans have said that the increase is evidence that the program is out of control.

 In June, the Senate passed a farm bill that includes cutting food stamps by roughly $4 billion. The House is expected to go much further with cuts. President Obama has vowed to veto a House farm bill that excludes food stamp funding altogether.